Ella and Mrs Gooseberry - Children's Book #Review!

"Ella and Mrs Gooseberry" by Penelope Pratley & Vikki Conley (EK Books, August  2019), a gentle, heartwarming story about finding love.

Grumpy old Mrs Gooseberry from next door has lost her love. ‘I didn’t know you could lose love,’ says Ella. So she begins her quest to find out what love looks like and how she can help Mrs Gooseberry to rediscover it. Her mother says love is like home-cooked pie. Her teacher says it’s like lanterns in the night. Perhaps love might look like a little kitten. Ella and Mrs Gooseberry is a heart-warming picture book about a child’s understanding of love, selfless giving and how it makes you feel.

My Review:
Beautiful book! Well written. When reading it, children will learn what love is.  Ella cared a lot about her neighbor, but her neighbor had nothing to care about other than her chickens and her garden. She had no one to talk to or play with, or spend her days with, until Ella did something special for Mrs. Gooseberry!


Disclosure: I received one copy of "Ella and Mrs. Goosberry" children's book, from EK Books, in exchange for my post. No other compensation was exchanged or received.

Perfect Petunias - Children's Book Review! #EKBooks

Perfect Petunias is a book especially for those little people who find it hard to make mistakes, designed to ’shape’ perfectionistic tendencies towards being a little more self-accepting and flexible. Loppy LAC is very worried about not doing his homework well enough. He is always focusing on what he hasn’t done rather then what he has, and he becomes very frustrated. So, his friend Curly teaches him about how petunias grow - in lots of different, imperfect directions that we can’t control! Loppy learns that by trying to control whether he makes mistakes or not it’s as if he’s always trying to grow ‘perfect’ petunias.  Sometimes he just needs to accept that things go a certain way and to change his definition of ‘perfect’ to mean trying his absolute best. Perfect Petunias is the third book in the ‘Lessons of a LAC’ series. This gorgeous series, by an author and illustrator who are passionate about giving children ways to think about and manage common emotional difficulties, is a valuable resource for every child to help guide their emotional development.

About the book:
Loppy LAC is very worried about not doing his homework well enough. He focuses on what he hasn't done rather then what he has, and he becomes frustrated. His friend Curly teaches him a lesson about perfection by explaining how petunias grow - in lots of different, imperfect directions that we can't control! Loppy learns that by trying to control whether he ever makes mistakes is like trying to grow "perfect" petunias. Sometimes he just needs to accept that things go a certain way and "perfect" can mean trying your absolute best.

For more information about "Perfect Petunias" and Teacher's Notes and activities to do with children or students: https://ekbooks.org/product/perfect-petunias/#prettyPhoto

About the Author:
Lynn Jenkins is a clinical psychologist, author and mother of three. Lynn is passionate about early intervention in the social and emotional development of children, and has written picture books on the topics of anxiety and worry (Lessons of a LAC and Brave, and Perfect Petunias), a picture book on mindfulness called Ollie's Treasures, as well as two non-fiction titles for adults, Best Start and School Start.

Illustrator:
Kirrili Lonergan is a children’s book illustrator and mother of four. She has illustrated several picture books (Lessons of a LAC, Perfect Petunias, Brave and Dandelions) as well as created designs for clothes, prints and pottery. She is passionate about illustrating picture books that have a ‘healing’ message and has a great understanding of the need for such books as a result of her previous work as a pediatric nurse.

My Thoughts:
I feel that "Perfect Petunias" is an adorable children's book! I like that it teaches children that it's ok to be themselves and to not be perfect all the time. Our children in kindergarten and first grade really need this message today. As the Common Core standards and tests make kids believe if they aren't perfect and getting their scores above a certain level, then the kids feel that they are dumb. And sometimes, there are teachers who tell the kids this because they feel that the child should have done better, instead of encouraging them to do so. My almost nine year old knows that when she takes her STAR tests, she's only competing against herself and her own scores, not against kids in the school or her class.

"Perfect Petunias" teaches us all that we aren't perfect, and that our work isn't always going to be perfect, and that's ok. I am me. I do me, you do you! And that's ok!


Disclosure: I received one copy of "Perfect Petunias" children's book from EK Books in exchange for my post. No other compensation was exchanged or received.

See Hear: There's magic all around you. What can you see? What can you hear? - Children's Book Review!

About the Book:
This innovative flip-format picture book is a sequel to the best-selling Smile Cry. Piglet, Bunny and Cat return in a charming, whimsical sensory adventure. From watching ‘squiggly rain’ on a window to pointing out ‘heavenly horses’ in the clouds, from hearing the ‘buzzing blossoms’ of bees at work to ‘hot pan sizzles’ as a favourite meal is prepared, See Hear invites us to open our eyes and ears to the everyday magic that surrounds us. Perfect for ages 3 and upwards.

About the Author:
Tania McCartney is an award-winning author, illustrator, and book and magazine editor. The founder of Kids’ Book Review and the 52-Week Illustration Challenge, she is a long-time juvenile literacy ambassador, and a solid player in the Australian children’s book industry. Her recent books include Australia: Illustrated and Smile Cry, a CBCA Notable Book for 2017. Tania lives in Canberra with her family, a forest of artwork and a mountain of books.

About the Illustrator:
Jess Racklyeft works with a medley of materials including watercolours, paints and digital bits and pieces. She was selected for Luerzer's Archive 200 Best Illustrators of the World 2013/2014 and the Etsy Design Awards, and has been a finalist in the Kids' Book Review Illustration Competition. Along with creating picture books, Jess works with Australian card companies, US-based agency Astound, and sells prints through markets and bookshops. She is involved in Illustrators Australia and writes for their magazine Outline. In her spare time, she creates paintings in conjunction with her young daughter.

My Review:
See Hear is like two books in one. First, the side labeled "See," talks about things that we can see, like squiggly rain, ladybugs, and more. The other side labeled "Hear," talks about things that we can hear, such as birds, popcorn, a carnival, giggling, and more.

This book is great for getting children to slow down, and look and listen for what they might see and hear if they slow down once in a while. Especially this summer. We should all slow down and teach our children that it's ok to be still once in a while. They might hear a bird's song, or a train in the distance. They might see baby birds, flowers, animals, etc. Purchase your copy today at your local book retailer or at Amazon.


Disclosure: I received one copy of "See Hear: There's magic all around you. What can you see? What can you hear?" children's book from EK Books in exchange for my post. No other compensation was exchanged or received.

Visiting You: A Journey of Love - Children's Book #Review!

A heart-warming celebration of the power of love, and how it's our similarities, not our differences, that matter most.

About the Book:
A young child and their mother set out to visit a loved one. Along the way, the child interacts with other commuters — a father who lives apart from his small daughter, a husband who has lost his wife, a granddaughter who is forgotten by her grandfather, and a mother who fears for her son’s recovery — and discovers that we all are bound by the common experience of love, that appearances can be deceiving, and that it’s our similarities, not our differences, that matter most.

About the Author:
Rebecka Sharpe Shelberg is a librarian, children's author and general book enthusiast. She would happily spend a year's salary in a good book store.

About the Illustrator:
Andrea Edmonds is an artist and illustrator who has worked on children's books, greeting cards, stationery, commissioned artworks and animation.

My Review:
Adorable book about an inquisitive child asking people who they are going to visit and learning about where others are going along his own journey to visit a loved one. This book is about love for people, and about how we all love others and how others can be friendly no matter what they look like, tall, overweight, tattoos, and more.

I love getting to know others and their stories. We all have stories to share, and it's so great to tell them to others.


Disclosure: I received on copy of the children's book, "Visiting You: A Journey of Love" in exchange for my post. No other compensation was exchanged or received.

SCAREDY BOOK - Children's Book Review and #Giveaway! (U.S.) Ends 6/10

Book longs for adventure but is too scared to leave the library. Then Book meets Emma - 

Scaredy Book shares the perfect message for kids afraid of leaving their comfort zone (and hand-wringing helicopter parents too!).

About the book:
Book lives at the library and desperately wants to go outside, but is intimidated by what might happen "out there." A page might get torn. Book's cover might get dirty. Book might never be returned to the library! Meanwhile, Emma loves visiting the library an delights in the many adventures in the stories she reads. When Emma meets Book, they find they are just what each other needs. Together, Book and Emma move out of their comfort zone to try new things, meet new people, and enjoy quiet adventures - climbing trees, laughing in the rain, and even cheering along at a soccer match. Along the way, they discover that "out there" needn't be scary if you just take it one step at a time.

About the Author:
Devon Sillett is a former radio producer, turned writer and reviewer. She has loved books as long as she can remember - so much so that she even married her husband Matthew in a library! Currently, she teachers in the writing department at the University of Canberra, where she is also a PhD student, researching Australian children's picture books. Her first picture book, "The Leaky Story," was published by EK in 2017. (You can read my post about "The Leaky Story" here.)

About the Illustrator:
Cara is a designer and illustrator, who runs who own design business, Caratoons. She is based in Melbourne, Australia.

My Review:
"Scaredy Book" is a cute story about a brave and courageous book who likes the safe walls and shelves in the library, but who also wishes to go on adventures and have experiences. He learns that he can not only make new friends and leave the library on great adventures, but that afterwards, he will return to the safe library when his new friends are done reading him and taking him places.

This story is a great story to help teach children that when they leave the house to go somewhere, that they are always on an adventure, and when the adventure is over, they will return back home, safe and sound. The illustrations are beautifully done!

GIVEAWAY!

Enter below for a chance to Win your own copy of "Scaredy Book!" Giveaway is open to residents who live in the main 48 continental United States only, 18 year of age or older. No P.O. Boxes, sorry. Giveaway ends on 6/10/18.

Entry-Form

Disclosure: I received one copy of "Scaredy Book" from EK BOOKS/Exisle Publishing in exchange for my post. No other compensation was exchanged or received.